Shohei Ohtani’s Suitors May Eclipse $500 Million, But Time is Ticking for the Japanese Wonder Boy to Make a Decision

November is about to end and Shohei Ohtani is still a free agent. While his $500 million contract talks may eclipse all others, there are other big events this offseason. Teams are simultaneously focusing on a number of things to build a winning unit. According to a top MLB Insider, this might adversely affect the timeline of Ohtani?s decision. The Japanese two-way phenom may have to work with a tight deadline.

While all teams are lined up for Ohtani, there is a strong case to be made that some are more interested in signing other players first. Could the teams ask Ohtani to finish quickly so that the competition is less or will Shotime wait for the biggest possible pool of teams to choose from?

Insider says Shohei Ohtani might have to make a choice quickly

Winter is a busy time for baseball. Although Shohei Ohtani commands the most attention, spending all of their time on one player isn’t possible for most clubs. Especially when it’s about $500 million – they might want decisions made quickly. That?s exactly why Ken Rosenthal believes the two-way sensation may have to hurry up the decision if he wants freedom of choice.

? There is one school of thought that says he has to sign quickly because the teams that are interested in giving $500 million are going to want answers quickly because they can’t have that money tied up in the entire offseason while the other options disappear. That would drive a quicker signing.?

Rosenthal then discussed the possibility that teams are expecting more competition later on. Franchises like the New York Yankees or New York Mets are currently pursuing Yoshinobu Yamamoto and might enter the race once they?re done with their targets.

Read more: MLB Insider Believes in Shohei Ohtani?s Most Comfortable Team, Despite Bigger Markets Dominating $500M Sweepstakes

For Ohtani, this would mean making a decision before the end of December. As of this moment, it doesn?t seem likely as even Shotime might prefer to decide quickly so that he can begin his work with his future team as early as possible. So what are the conditions of different teams that Ohtani might have to look at during this race?

How the contenders are shaping up to be in the race for the MVP

While the LA Dodgers were favorites at first, they aren’t the overwhelming choice anymore. They are more focused on pitchers and with their roster getting old, rebuilding seems more logical. The San Francisco Giants recently lost out on Aaron Nola, so they could go after Ohtani to break their streak of missed signings.

Then there?s the Chicago Cubs who would give Ohtani a comfortable and thriving atmosphere. The Texas Rangers are the same with an added bonus of a World Series-winning squad.

There’s no shortage of options, only the choice remains.

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